Source: US DOT The U.S. Department of Transportation today released its Air Travel Consumer Report (ATCR) on airline operational data compiled for the month of November 2022 for on-time performance, consumer complaints, mishandled baggage, and mishandled wheelchairs and scooters. There was a 23% increase in air travel service complaints from October to November, after complaints decreased by 12% from September to October. The ATCR is designed to assist consumers with information on the quality of services provided by airlines. DOT remains committed to ensuring airline passengers are treated fairly and is concerned about recent flight cancellations and flight disruptions. The Department is currently investigating four domestic airlines to ensure that they are not engaging in unrealistic scheduling of flights. Also, [...]

Source: ALTA Cargo airline DHL Aero Expreso S.A. began operations in 1996 in Panama City and has since expanded its operations with the DHL Express division in the Americas. The company is now taking another step in its expansion by joining the Latin American and Caribbean Air Transport Association (ALTA). The company continues to expand its airfreight capacity to meet the growing demand for shipments, mainly from the e-commerce sector. In recent years, demand for shipments has shown unprecedented performance from its customers in the Americas, both in the B2C and B2B segments. As a result, DHL Express, the world's leading express and logistics company that is part of Deutsche Post DHL Group, is carrying out an expansion plan in [...]

Source: IATA The International Air Transport Association (IATA) announced that the recovery in air travel continued in December 2022 and for the full year. Total traffic in 2022 (measured in revenue passenger kilometers or RPKs) rose 64.4% compared to 2021. Globally, full year 2022 traffic was at 68.5% of pre-pandemic (2019) levels. December 2022 total traffic rose 39.7% compared to December 2021 and reached 76.9% of the December 2019 level. International traffic in 2022 climbed 152.7% versus 2021 and reached 62.2% of 2019 levels. December 2022 international traffic climbed 80.2% over December 2021, reaching 75.1% of the level in December 2019. Domestic traffic for 2022 rose 10.9% compared to the prior year. 2022 domestic traffic was at 79.6% of the full year 2019 [...]

Source: IATA The International Air Transport Association (IATA) released data for global air freight markets showing that 2022 full-year demand for air cargo took a significant step back from 2021 levels but was close to 2019 performance. Global full-year demand in 2022, measured in cargo tonne-kilometers (CTKs*), was down 8.0% compared to 2021 (-8.2% for international operations). Compared to 2019, it was down 1.6% (both global and international). Capacity in 2022, measured in available cargo tonne-kilometers (ACTKs), was 3.0% above 2021 (+4.5% for international operations). Compared to 2019 (pre-COVID) levels, capacity declined by 8.2% (-9.0% for international operations). December saw a softening in performance: global demand was 15.3% below 2021 levels (-15.8% for international operations). Monthly cargo demand tracked below [...]

Source: US DOT The Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) today released U.S. airlines’ December fuel cost and consumption numbers indicating U.S. scheduled service airlines used 1.471 billion gallons of fuel, 5.3% more fuel than in November 2022 (1.398 billion gallons) and 5.2% less than in pre-pandemic December 2019. The cost per gallon of fuel in December 2022 ($3.14) was down 18 cents (5.3%) from November 2022 ($3.32) and up $1.14 (57.0%) from December 2019. Total December 2022 fuel expenditure ($4.63B) was down 0.3% from November 2022 ($4.64B) and up 48.7% from pre-pandemic December 2019. Year-over-year increases in fuel consumption and cost for December include 3.0% in domestic fuel consumption, 51.4% in domestic fuel cost, and 47.0% in [...]

Source: FAA New Approaches Reduce CO2 and Other Emissions by 27,000 Tons Annually. Saves Equivalent of 62 Boeing 737 Flights Between New York and Cleveland. Planes heading to Orlando, Kansas City, Omaha, Reno and six airports in South Florida can now slide down from cruising altitude to final approach saving millions of gallons of fuel and reducing greenhouse gases. "We are investing across the entire system to provide passengers with the best travel experience.  The era of choppy descents is coming to an end, providing a smoother landing and saving fuel in the process," said Acting FAA Administrator Billy Nolen. The new Optimized Profile Descents (OPDs) safely eliminate the need for the fuel-consuming stair-step procedure. Under traditional procedures, aircraft repeatedly level off [...]

Source: AAPA Preliminary traffic results for the full calendar year 2022 released today by the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines (AAPA) showed robust recovery in international passenger markets after more than two years of prolonged lockdowns and strict border control measures that severely crippled demand. In 2022, Asia Pacific airlines carried a combined total of 105.4 million international passengers, compared to the 17.4 million passengers recorded in 2021. By December, international passengers carried climbed to 47.5% of pre-pandemic levels, a significant improvement from the 7.0% recorded in January. Measured in revenue passenger kilometres (RPK) terms, international passenger demand rose by a strong 439.0% for the year. After accounting for a 144.0% expansion in available seat capacity, the average international passenger load [...]

Souce: ALTA The global environmental commitment of the aviation industry is clear: achieving zero net carbon emissions by 2050. This ambitious goal will be possible thanks to the strong commitment of the entire value chain and technological and operational advances; however, there are still some challenges in the Latin American and Caribbean region to achieve it. This is why the Latin American and Caribbean Air Transport Association (ALTA) has consolidated a working group focused on four pillars: 1) Efficiency in operations and new technologies, 2) Sustainable Aviation Fuel SAF, 3) Emission Offset Programs, 4) Economic instruments for climate change management. The ALTA Environment Committee, made up of airlines operating in the region, elected Johanna Cabrera, Sustainability Manager at LATAM, as [...]

Source: US DOT January is National Human Trafficking Prevention Month The U.S. Department of Transportation is marking National Human Trafficking Prevention Month by taking several actions to raise awareness about human trafficking and how to recognize and prevent this terrible crime. Combating human trafficking in the transportation sector is a top priority for the Department. "Every year, human traffickers seek to use America's transportation systems to facilitate unspeakable crimes," said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. "National Human Trafficking Prevention Month is an opportunity for us to redouble our anti-trafficking efforts by making sure travelers know how to recognize and report the warning signs and by embracing innovative approaches and strategies like the ones we're recognizing today." According to the International Labour Organization, [...]